Oliver McPherson-Smith

Peter Obi: Optimism and Pessimism in 5 Graphs

By virtue of his breakout presidential campaign, Peter Obi has already earned himself a page in the Nigerian political history books. But can he rout the current PDP-APC duopoly to take the presidency? And how firmly have the two largest parties held onto power across the states? State-level data** from the 2011, 2015, and 2019Continue reading “Peter Obi: Optimism and Pessimism in 5 Graphs”

Nigeria Holds a Bad Hand in any OPEC Deal

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its partners are meeting this week to mull further increases to global oil production. Ahead of any announcement from the cartel’s confab, one thing is already certain—the deal will not be a boon for Africa’s largest oil producer, Nigeria. Cheered on by president Joe Biden andContinue reading “Nigeria Holds a Bad Hand in any OPEC Deal”

One Step Forward, One Step Back for the Appointee Scandal

For just a brief moment, it seemed like President Muhammadu Buhari had finally taken decisive steps to end the largely self-inflicted scandals plaguing the APC’s most prominent presidential aspirants. Not so fast. The scandals revolve around the ability of political appointees (mostly cabinet members) to run in party primaries while holding their job, and theContinue reading “One Step Forward, One Step Back for the Appointee Scandal”

Osinbajo’s Déjà Vu Declaration

Last week, vice-president professor Yemi Osinbajo formally announced his candidacy for president of the Republic under the APC banner. The announcement came in the form of a pre-recorded speech, which was visually professional and accompanied by a standard speech that ticked all the necessary boxes. Despite an increasingly large field of presidential aspirants, Osinbajo’s announcementContinue reading “Osinbajo’s Déjà Vu Declaration”

TEXT: Yemi Osinbajo’s Presidential Declaration Speech

Note: The video of this speech was released on April 11, 2022 and its text was originally posted on the personal website of Prof Yemi Osinbajo. I have re-posted it here as an historical record. “Dear Nigerians, for the past seven years, I have served as Vice President under a true Nigerian patriot, a servantContinue reading “TEXT: Yemi Osinbajo’s Presidential Declaration Speech”

Is it Time to Zone the Presidency to Women?

Zoning has once again dominated the headlines after the PDP zoning committee concluded if and how it will zone its presidential ticket. At least one person on the 37-person committee leaked to the press that the party will throw open the ticket to all geopolitical zones, implicitly paving the way for the likes of increasingly-perennialContinue reading “Is it Time to Zone the Presidency to Women?”

Does Gov. Wike have the Trump Factor?

Earlier this week, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike (PDP) declared his intention to run for president. For what was a serious announcement by a sitting governor of the oil-wealthy Rivers state, Wike’s announcement was met with laughter, and humor, and even a few chuckles from his allies. Whether the levity is ill- or well-intentioned, it is fairContinue reading “Does Gov. Wike have the Trump Factor?”

Could Emefiele be the next Obasanjo?

It’s not very often that a sitting central bank governor is lauded by throngs of singing and dancing supporters, but backers of CBN governor Godwin Emefiele may have just made history at this weekend’s APC national convention. The political theatre, whether organic or facilitated, is a quirky tribute to a technocrat whose celebrity status usuallyContinue reading “Could Emefiele be the next Obasanjo?”

Who is Afraid of Rotimi Amaechi?

Presidential candidates come in different guises: there are those who want to run, those who might be persuaded to run, and then those who say they are above the fray but are ready to be conscripted by their legions of well-wishers for the good of the country. Regardless of their route to the candidacy, theContinue reading “Who is Afraid of Rotimi Amaechi?”

Welcome to Naija Decides 2023

For a first post, I’ll introduce myself, give a short outline of my interest and background in Nigeria, and outline the purpose of the blog. I am currently a doctoral candidate in political science at the University of Oxford, where my work focuses on the politics of corporate regulatory reform in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.Continue reading “Welcome to Naija Decides 2023”